Family wants killer shark spared

[dudeness]

Monday, 12 July 2004

Brad Smith was killed in a shark attack on Saturday.ABC TV
Western Australian authorities plan to kill two sharks believed responsible for a deadly attack on Saturday if they can find them, despite the victim's family saying the animals should be spared.

Fisheries officers will resume their search off the state's south-west coast this morning.

Surfer Brad Smith, 29, was killed off the beach at Gracetown on Saturday, with witnesses saying one shark attacked him while another circled.

It is not clear what type of sharks were involved in the attack but a search of nearby waters will continue today. Searchers yesterday found no sign of the animals, saying overcast conditions made it hard to spot shadows in the water.

WA Fisheries Minister Kim Chance says a police officer on board a fisheries patrol vessel will shoot the sharks if they can be identified as those responsible.

That is despite Mr Smith's family saying it does not want the sharks killed.

Mr Chance says the patrol will continue for the next few days.

"Large sharks can cover as much as 200 kilometres in a day," Mr Chance said. "What's keeping that shark there or what might keep that shark there is simply a behavioural pattern that we don't understand but why a particular shark might return to an area is an ingrained hunting instinct, I would imagine."


Witnesses described the shark as at least three metres long and experts say the surfer was pushed off his board, which is the behaviour of a great white shark.

Fishing expert Mike Roennfeldt says authorities should not hesitate to shoot the shark if it is close to the area and fits the description given by other surfers at the beach.

snip..http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200407/s1151399.htm


as any surfer knows shark generally are no problem..this was super aggressive shark..eye witnesses say it was almost completely out of the water when it lunged on to Brad..a great white for sure..and fucken aggro..